Weekend open thread: Racing or a ride in the park

Mt. Hood Classic at Mt. Tabor -36.jpg

Park it at a park.
(Photo © J. Maus)

With the return of summer sun, you might as well go big this weekend.

For some, with a penchant for self-sacrifice, that will mean heading out to Bald Peak for the inaugural Pain on the Peak cyclocross race. For others, that might mean getting out and enjoying a local park.

If a park is more up your alley, check out the Hillsboro Tour de Parks, a family-friendly event that promises an “enjoyable and relaxing” ride through some “overlooked gems” of Hillsboro’s park system.

On this side of the hill, those friendly bike-funnists at Shift will hold their annual Shiftnic at Laurelhurst Park on Sunday from 2-5:00. Ride on over and learn more about how to get involved with Shift and/or just meet and mingle with some very nice folks.

If you live or are headed down to Southern Oregon on Saturday, you won’t want to miss the first annual Southern Oregon Custom Bicycle Show. It’s being held at the headquarters of United Bicycle Institute in Ashland from 9:00 am to 4:00pm.

What do you have planned? Share your adventures and feel free to plug other events you know about in the comments below.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the nice warm sun.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Jeff TB
Jeff TB
15 years ago

Tomorrow, Cleo and I might head to Pain on the Peak to cheer the racers. Can\’t forget the cowbell! Sunday I\’ll race at Krugers. I expect it to be dusty.

Tonight, Jenny (its her birthday) wants to ride to Chapman Elementary. She wants Cleo to see the Swifts (thousands of them) flying into the chimney. Anyone ever seen it?

a.O
15 years ago

It\’s really cool. You\’ll be glad you went.

Michael
15 years ago

I\’m doing SIR\’s Jan Heine-authored toruturefest, the Windy Ridge 600k. It climbs Mt Rainier a couple times, and Mt. St. Helens up to Windy Ridge. I should be able to finish well under the 40 hour time limit, but it\’ll probably take pedaling all night.

bahueh
bahueh
15 years ago

1/2 trail marathon around timothy lake..
should be a nice time.
CCX season is for….well…not riding. 🙂 its when I pick up a beer and yell at my friends from the parking lot..

Gabrielm
15 years ago

Don\’t forget the Midnight Mystery Ride tonight!

Kris S
Kris S
15 years ago

Hey Jeff,

Watching the vaux swifts at Chapman is one of the coolest thing to do in Portland in September. Check it out at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cIa95TjBh0

We might see you there. Otherwise see you at Kruger\’s on Sunday!

Shiftnic Scavenger Hunt

This Sunday is the Shiftnic scavenger hunt- with cash prizes! Scavenger hunt is pretty intense- show up between 12 and 1:30 to get your sheet of hunt items. The earlier, the better.

Jeff TB
Jeff TB
15 years ago

We\’ll look for you Kris! Thanks for the link.

Jason
Jason
15 years ago

Bike Yard Sale Saturday!

Check out the obra chat archive for details! Subject: Yard Sale Frames & More!

Enjoy the sun!

Refunk
Refunk
15 years ago

Bike-move Microcosm Publishing on Saturday and PDOT bike/ped count on the Springwater at Spokane on Sunday. Think of me at the Bike Yard Sale and the Shiftnic Scavenger Hunt!

Cecil
15 years ago

I started the weekend by commuting home to Portland for Salem last night – I\’ve made it a goal to do every Friday that the weather and my schedule permits. The headwinds on Howell Prairie Road last night made me doubt my sanity, though. I\’ve never worked so hard to go 11 mph.

Just biking errands today (Farmers Market, Icebreaker sale), and then on Sunday I plan to do a Larch Mountain century – I can\’t believe that summer is almost over and I have not yet done a Larch Mountain run!

As much as I\’d like to join Michael on Jan Heine\’s 600K volcano torturefest, I decided to wait and do the Eastern Oregon/Washington \”Desert River\” 600K next week. What it will lack in volcanoes, it will make up for in wind . . .

Grant
Grant
15 years ago

Rode down to Mt. Angel for their Oktoberfest. Beautiful day, went through Lake O, West Linn, Canby, Aurora, Woodburn. Mostly on 99E which I\’ve never ridden before. Once you get past Canby it\’s fine, before that though it\’s pretty crappy. Little shoulders, lots of gravel and other debris. Ugh.

The Oktoberfest was fun though. So many people it was crazy but I loved riding past the long lines of cars trying to find parking, a privilege for which some were paying $4 or $5 bucks for.

Good beer, good brats, good times.

Ben McLeod
15 years ago

I went to watch the Pain on the Peak today. It was dusty and dirty and looked like a lot of fun. I took some pictures.

Cecil
15 years ago

Grant – next time you want to go to Mt. Angel from Portland, I can give a much prettier, far-less-trafficked route than 99 . . .

On the way home from Salem Friday night I passed through Mt. Angel – I had not realized the Oktoberfest was on until I got to the town and realized that was the explanation for the increased number of speeding pickup trucks on Howell Prairie Road and the Mt Angel Highway!

MattD
15 years ago

My weekend was all about Pain on the Peak. I was the race director and I wanted to thank everyone who came out and participated or just spectated. While the conditions were way less than ideal for a cross race (dust dust dust) the overwhelming feedback I received from racers was that the course was accurately named.

If anyone has some feedback or comments they would like to share, please feel free to mail me at paincx at portlandvelo dot net. Thanks!

tim
15 years ago

Pain on the Peak was great, thanks Matt! Definitely a painful cross course.. Maybe a mud-pit or two next year? Thanks again.

Paul Vincent
Paul Vincent
15 years ago

Spent Saturday finishing my vacation cycling tour, a Beaverton to Coast, driveway to driveway loop tour. Started last Sunday, 9/7/08, and finished Saturday. Saturday\’s ride was from Mary\’s Peak through Corvallis, after which my brother boot strapped me up to Rickreall and I went from there to home. Started the day\’s riding at 7:00 a.m. and finished at 6:00 p.m. I cycled @ 420 miles, hiked @ 25 miles. Sunday was a recovery day, which I spent with my kids and wife. My son and I worked on the rebuild of his 1970\’s Schwinn BMX bike.

Hollie
Hollie
15 years ago

We rode our first century on Saturday! The route took us through downtown to southwest, through Beaverton (that\’s some lousy cycling territory out there), over the hilly torture that is Chehalem mountain, and turned around in McMinnville. We fought the good fight against the headwind (we hear you, Cecil) and hills and made it back to Portland, ultimately triumphant. Ended up being 104 miles.

We\’re no randos, but we sure are proud to have finally passed the 100 mile mark!

kevin
kevin
15 years ago

Cecil,
what is this ride from PDX to Mt. Angel? Looking to go down there this weekend. Thanks